Vehicle seat and armrest thereof

Abstract

To provide a structure capable of suppressing wear of a motor and a gear, reducing labor required for replacement and repair when damaged by excessive input, and easily adjusting the speed and movable range of an armrest.SOLUTION: An arm rest includes an arm rest frame 51 rotatably attached around a rotation axis of a seat frame 31 of a seat back, a sector gear 35 integrated with the seat frame 31, sector gear teeth 35T provided on the sector gear 35, a motor 53 having a pinion gear 5 meshing with the sector gear teeth 35T, a motor unit 52 including the motor 53, and a fastening member 57 for fastening the motor unit 52 to the arm rest frame 51.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat and an armrest thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] As a mechanism for making the angle of an armrest attached to a seat back adjustable, one has been proposed in which the armrest is rotated around a tilt axis by an electric actuator (see, for example, Reference 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-191337 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional mechanisms, worm gears are relatively prone to wear and have poor transmission efficiency. Furthermore, if the motor or gear is damaged due to excessive load on the armrest, replacement or repair can be time-consuming. Furthermore, there is still room for improvement in conventional mechanisms in terms of adjusting the speed and range of motion when using a motor to rotate the armrest.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle seat and its armrest that suppresses wear on the motor and gears, reduces the effort required for replacement or repair in the event of damage due to excessive input, and has a structure that makes it easy to adjust the speed and range of motion of the armrest. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an armrest for a vehicle seat, an armrest frame rotatably attached to a seat frame of a seat back around a rotation axis of the seat frame; The sector gear is integrated into the seat frame, sector gear teeth provided on the sector gear; a motor having a pinion gear that meshes with the sector gear teeth; a motor unit including the motor; a fastening member for fastening the motor unit to the armrest frame; It is an armrest equipped with.

[0007] When a load is applied to the armrest described above, a moment load acts around the rotation axis of the armrest. However, because the motor pinion gear in the armrest described above is located away from the rotation axis of the armrest, damage to the motor and pinion gear is reduced compared to structures in which the pinion gear is located on or near the rotation axis. Even if the motor or pinion gear is damaged, the motor unit can be removed from the armrest frame, minimizing the effort required for replacement or repair. Furthermore, because the armrest is rotated by the meshing of the pinion gear on the motor side with the sector gear teeth, the rotation speed of the armrest can be easily adjusted by adjusting the shape of the sector gear (e.g., the distance from the center of rotation to the gear meshing point), and the range of motion can be easily adjusted by adjusting the number of teeth and the shape of the sector gear.

[0008] In the armrest as described above, the pinion gear may be detachable from the motor unit.

[0009] In the armrest as described above, the pinion gear may be detachably attached to the motor unit along the axial direction of the rotation shaft.

[0010] The armrest as described above may further include a sector gear hole provided in the sector gear, and a stopper pin provided in the armrest frame so as to partially engage with the sector gear hole.

[0011] In the armrest as described above, the sector gear hole may be provided in an arc shape centered on the rotation axis.

[0012] In the armrest as described above, the sector gear may be integrated with the seat frame via a base frame interposed between the armrest frame and the seat frame.

[0013] In the armrest as described above, the sector gear may be fixed to the shaft portion of the base frame.

[0014] In the armrest as described above, the base frame may be fixed to the seat frame by means of a bracket that is arranged so as to sandwich the seat frame together with the base frame.

[0015] The armrest as described above may further include a switch to rotate the motor forward, reverse, or stop it.

[0016] In the armrest as described above, the switch may be provided at a tip of the armrest frame that faces the traveling side of the vehicle.

[0017] The armrest as described above may further include one or both of an armrest pad and an armrest trim.

[0018] Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle seat provided with the armrest as described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle seat and its armrest that are structured to suppress wear on the motor and gears, reduce the effort required for replacement or repair in the event of damage due to excessive input, and make it easy to adjust the speed and range of motion of the armrest. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle seat; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat showing an example of the structure of an armrest and the like in solid lines. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the vehicle seat shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the left side. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle seat when the armrest is rotated upward. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of the internal structure of an armrest. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the internal structure of the armrest. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the structure around the sector gear with the motor unit removed. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of the armrest and its surrounding area. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of the structure of an armrest frame, etc. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the dashed line portion of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an armrest frame, an armrest pad, and an armrest trim. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings (see FIGS. 1 to 12).

[0022] <Vehicle seats> The vehicle seat 10 is a seat installed in a vehicle such as an automobile, and includes a seat cushion 20 that supports the buttocks and thighs of a seated occupant, a seat back 30 that supports the occupant's waist and back, a headrest 40 that supports the occupant's head, and an armrest 50 that supports the occupant's wrists, elbows, etc. (See FIGS. 1 to 4 ). The seat cushion 20 and the seat back 30 incorporate a seat frame that forms the framework of the seat cushion 20 or the seat back 30 (note that in FIG. 8 and other figures, only the backside frames that form the framework of the side portions of the seat back 30 are illustrated as seat frames 31). The seat frame 31 is covered with a seat pad made of a relatively soft resin foam material such as urethane foam, and is further covered with a trim cover made of a covering material such as leather, woven fabric, or nonwoven fabric.

[0023] A base frame 32 that supports the armrest 50 is fixed to a side of the seat frame (back side frame) 31 (see FIG. 8, etc.). The base frame 32 is provided with a shaft portion 32S that partially protrudes laterally outward (facing outward). The shaft portion 32S is configured, for example, from a pipe that is fixed to the base frame 32 by welding (in FIG. 11, the welded portion is indicated by reference symbol 32w). The shaft portion 32S supports the armrest frame 51 so that it can rotate about a rotation axis 30X (see FIG. 11, etc.). In addition, a bracket 34 is provided on the inner side of the side of the seat frame (back side frame) 31 (in the direction facing the center of the width direction of the vehicle seat 10). The bracket 34 is disposed so as to sandwich the seat frame 31 together with the base frame 32, and is fixed to the seat frame 31 by a fastening member such as a nut 37 (see FIG. 8).

[0024] <Armrest> The armrest 50 of the vehicle seat 10 according to the present invention is provided so as to be rotatable up and down around a rotation axis 30X (see FIGS. 3 and 4, etc.). The armrest 50 of this embodiment includes an armrest frame 51, a sector gear 35, a motor unit 52, a nut 57, a switch 60, etc. (see FIG. 8, etc.).

[0025] The armrest frame 51 is a frame that forms the skeleton of the armrest 50. In this embodiment, the armrest frame 51 is attached via a bushing 33 to a shaft portion 32S welded to the base frame 32, and is supported rotatably about a rotation axis 30X (see Figures 2, 8, etc.). The armrest frame 51 is provided with a stopper pin 55a that protrudes outward and is inserted into and engaged with a sector gear hole 35H of the sector gear 35 (see Figure 8, etc.).

[0026] The sector gear 35 is a plate-shaped member provided with sector gear teeth 35T and a sector gear hole 35H (see FIG. 9), and is fixed to the shaft portion 32S by, for example, welding (in FIG. 10, the welded portion is indicated by reference symbol 35w), and is integrated with the seat frame 31 via the base frame 32. The sector gear teeth 35T are formed in an arc shape about the rotation axis 30X (see FIG. 10, etc.). The sector gear hole 35H is formed in an arc shape about the rotation axis 30X so that a stopper pin 55a is inserted and engaged therein (see FIG. 8, etc.). When the armrest 50 rotates up and down about the rotation axis 30X (see FIGS. 3 and 4), the stopper pin 55a provided in the armrest frame 51 also rotates up and down, and its movement is restricted when it hits the end of the sector gear hole 35H. In this way, the sector gear hole 35H functions as a stopper that restricts the rotational range of the armrest frame 51 and the armrest 50 via the stopper pin 55a (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

[0027] The motor unit 52 is a unit for driving the armrest 50, and includes a motor 53 and a pinion gear 54. The motor unit 52 is detachably attached to the armrest frame 51 (see FIG. 8). The pinion gear 54 is arranged to mesh with the sector gear teeth 35T of the sector gear 35 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). When the pinion gear 54 is driven to rotate by the motor 53, it moves while rotating along the sector gear teeth 35T of the sector gear 35, thereby rotating the armrest frame 51 and the armrest 50 up and down (see FIGS. 4, 6, etc.). The motor unit 52 of this embodiment is attached to the armrest frame 51 by threading nuts 57 onto threaded portions (not shown) of a stopper pin 55a extending in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 30X and a pin 55b provided adjacent to the stopper pin 55a (see FIG. 8). The motor unit 52 can be attached to and detached from the armrest frame 51 relatively easily by inserting and removing the stopper pin 55a and the pin 55b along their axial directions. It goes without saying that the stopper pin 55a, pin 55b, and nut 57 shown here are merely an example of fastening members, and bolts or the like may also be used.

[0028] The pinion gear 54 is detachable from the motor unit 52 (see FIG. 8). The pinion gear 54 in the armrest 50 of this embodiment is detachable from the motor unit 52 in the same direction as the axial direction of the stopper pins 55a and 55b, and thus along the axial direction of the rotation shaft 30X, providing a structure that makes it visually and intuitively easy for workers to perform disassembly and installation. This makes replacement or repair work, such as replacing a damaged pinion gear 54, relatively easy and requires little effort.

[0029] The switch 60 is an input device for raising or lowering (rotating) the armrest 50 to a desired height by rotating the motor 53 forward, backward, or even stopping it, and is provided in a position that is easy for the occupant to operate. For example, the switch 60 in the armrest 50 of this embodiment is provided on the tip 51t of the armrest frame 51 that faces the vehicle's forward direction, so that the occupant can easily operate it while resting their arm on the armrest 50 (see FIGS. 5 and 8). The switch 60 and the motor 53 are connected by a harness 61 that is wired along the armrest frame 51 (see FIG. 5). A harness 62 passes through the shaft portion 32S that is integrated with the sector gear 35 and is connected to a main harness (not shown) of the vehicle seat 10.

[0030] The armrest 50 of this embodiment further includes an armrest pad 71 and an armrest trim 72 (see FIG. 12). The armrest pad 71 is made up of two parts, one provided on the inside and one provided on the outside of the armrest frame 51, but it may also be made up of only one part, in which case a slit may be provided on the bottom side so that it can be assembled from above the armrest frame 51. Also, instead of the armrest pad 71, the armrest frame 51 may be covered with a resin cover.

[0031] The armrest 50 of the present embodiment described so far has a structure that makes it easy to prevent damage to the motor 53. That is, when an excessive load is applied to the armrest 50, for example, when an occupant rests their elbow on it, a moment load acts around the rotation axis 30X, but in this embodiment, the pinion gear 54 of the motor 53 is located at a position away from the rotation axis 30X by an amount corresponding to the size of the sector gear 35 (more precisely, the distance L from the rotation axis 30X to the sector gear teeth 35T) (see FIG. 7 ). Therefore, compared to a structure in which the pinion gear 54 is located on the rotation axis 30X (in other words, a structure in which the output shaft of the motor is directly connected to the rotation axis of the armrest on the same line), external forces that directly act on the motor 53 and pinion gear 54 are suppressed, and the load can be borne by the sector gear 35, making it easy to prevent damage to the motor 53 and pinion gear 54.

[0032] Furthermore, even if the motor 53 or pinion gear 54 is damaged, the motor unit 52 is easily detached from and attached to the armrest frame 51, so the effort required for replacement or repair is reduced.

[0033] Furthermore, since the armrest 50 of this embodiment is configured to rotate by meshing the pinion gear 54 on the motor 53 side with the sector gear teeth 35T of the sector gear 35, it is possible to adjust the rotation speed of the armrest 50, for example, by changing the distance from the rotation axis 30X to the sector gear teeth 35T. Furthermore, the range of motion of the armrest 50 can be adjusted by changing the number of gear teeth or the shape of the sector gear 35, or by changing the position and shape of the stopper pin 55a or the sector gear hole 35H.

[0034] The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but is not limited to this and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the left armrest 50 of the vehicle seat 10 has been described, but this is only one example, and it goes without saying that a symmetrical structure can be similarly applied to the right armrest 50. [Industrial Applicability]

[0035] The present invention is suitable for application to a vehicle seat and its armrest. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10...Vehicle seat 20...Seat cushion 30...Seat back 30X...Rotation axis 31...Seat frame 32...Base frame 32S...shaft section 32w...welded part 33...Bush 34…Bracket 35...Sector gear 35H...Sector gear hole 35T...sector gear teeth 35w...welded part 37...Nut 40...Headrest 50...Armrest 51...Armrest frame 51t...Tip of armrest frame 52...Motor unit 53...Motor 54...Pinion gear 55a...Stopper pin 55b...pin 57... Nut (fastening member) 60...Switch 61...Harness 62...Harness 71...Armrest pad 72...Armrest trim L: Distance from rotation axis 30X to sector gear tooth 35T

Claims

1. An armrest for a vehicle seat, an armrest frame rotatably attached to a seat frame of a seat back around a rotation axis of the seat frame; a sector gear integrated into the seat frame; sector gear teeth provided on the sector gear; a motor having a pinion gear that meshes with the sector gear teeth; a motor unit including the motor; a fastening member for fastening the motor unit to the armrest frame; Equipped with armrests.

2. The armrest according to claim 1 , wherein the pinion gear is detachable from the motor unit.

3. The armrest according to claim 2 , wherein the pinion gear is detachably attached to the motor unit along the axial direction of the rotation shaft.

4. The armrest according to claim 1, further comprising: a sector gear hole provided in the sector gear; and a stopper pin provided in the armrest frame so as to partially engage with the sector gear hole.

5. The armrest according to claim 4, wherein the sector gear hole is provided in an arc shape around the rotation axis.

6. The armrest according to claim 1 , wherein the sector gear is integrated with the seat frame via a base frame interposed between the armrest frame and the seat frame.

7. The armrest according to claim 6, wherein the sector gear is fixed to a shaft portion of the base frame.

8. The armrest according to claim 7 , wherein the base frame is fixed to the seat frame by means of a bracket arranged to sandwich the seat frame together with the base frame.

9. The armrest of claim 1 , further comprising a switch for rotating the motor forward, reverse, or stopping the motor.

10. The armrest according to claim 9, wherein the switch is provided at a tip of the armrest frame that faces the traveling side of the vehicle.

11. The armrest of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising one or both of an armrest pad and an armrest trim.

12. A vehicle seat comprising the armrest according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images